The present invention relates to a dryer section for a machine for the production of fiber webs, for instance paper webs, and more particularly to the arrangement of dryer cylinders in the dryer section for shortening the structural length of the dryer section. The dryer section includes a plurality of dryer groups, and each dryer group itself comprises at least one, and more usually a plurality of dryer cylinders. Neighboring dryer cylinders in the dryer group have a respective reversing roll between them. A web supporting belt for the dryer group passes alternately over a dryer cylinder and a reversing roll moving through the dryer group in the direction of web travel. The dryer cylinders are arranged in a plurality of rows and the web travel pathway, guided by the respective web support belts in the dryer groups, is such that the web alternately passes down one row and up the next row through the dryer groups.
Such a dryer section forms the object of U.S. patent application 07/422 547, filed Nov. 28, 1989. A traditional drying section has only horizontal rows of drying cylinders. In the just mentioned patent, it was attempted to shorten the structural length of the dryer section by arranging the dryer cylinders in predominantly vertical rows. Individual dryer cylinders are shifted out of the vertical row so as to produce a row which, although it is not linear, is inclined to the vertical A forwardly inclined row is followed by a rearwardly inclined row so that the cylinder rows succeed each other in the manner of a zig-zag line.